The Let My Vote Count Alliance has taken due notice of the decision by President John Dramani Mahama to appoint Mrs. Charlotte Osei, 42, as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana. We wish to greet her with this clarion message: NO NEW REGISTER NO VOTE IN 2016!

Charlotte Osei appointed new EC boss -

President John Dramani Mahama has, in accordance with Article 70(2) of the 1992 Constitution, appointed Mrs. Charlotte Osei as Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana.

REPORT OF THE ELECTORAL REFORMS COMMITTEE SUBMITTED TO THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA -

We, members of the Electoral Reforms Committee wish to thank the almighty God for the strength, health and travelling mercies granted us throughout our various meetings, discussions and retreat sessions held outside Accra in executing our mandate as spelt out in our Terms of Reference. We thank the Chairman and Members of the Electoral Commission for giving us the opportunity to serve mother Ghana.

To Mr Gabriel Pwamang the consultant to the Committee, we say: “...we are grateful to you for your assistance and for bringing your competence, expertise and legal acumen to bear on the work of the Committee.” Read more >>>

COMMEMORATION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEATH OF DR. J. B. DANQUAH -

Foresight Africa: Implementing a New U.S.-Africa Policy -

2013 ushered in the most significant change in the United States’ Africa policy since the passing of PEPFAR 10 years ago. The unveiling of investment-focused initiatives—Power Africa and Trade Africa—reflects not just a change in how the Obama administration views the continent, but also how foreign investors have prioritized it. But policy rarely achieves its objectives without equal attention to implementation. A number of implementation barriers—old regulations and new policies working at cross-purposes, and limited on-the-ground capacity—threaten to undermine America’s new approach to the continent in 2014. If 2013 was marked by change in U.S. strategy towards Africa, 2014 will be marked by the recognition that 90 percent of the success of that strategy is implementation.

Statistical Proof of Ghana's Bloated Voter Register -

This is the Age Distribution of Ghana’s 2010 population of 24.391 million.

This number includes all persons domiciled in Ghana as at 2010 regardless of citizenship.

Although the elections were held in 2012, the voter register was compiled at a time when these were the population distribution

On the eve of the New Year, 2015, the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) announced a reduction in ex-pump prices of petroleum products by 10% across board. This was not without drama. Most of the headlines that followed the announcement pointed to price reduction under duress. A number of civil society organizations and political parties put pressure on NPA to reduce the prices due to reasons such as the oil price crush and relative stability in the value of the local Ghanaian currency. Some of the organizations threatened public demonstrations against NPA and the Government; a situation that was expected considering that petro-politics is a feature of petroleum pricing in most parts of the world.

Public policy and governance think tank, the Danquah Institute has expressed grave concern about the Electoral Commission's decision to register all persons in the country who, simply, are in possession of identity cards issued by the National Health Insurance Authority.

At a press conference organised by DI last week, a fellow of the institute, Mr. Boakye Agyarko, explained that “one of the objects of the National Health Insurance Authority” as captured on the NHIA’s website which states that “persons not resident in the country but who are on a visit to this country” can obtain NHIS cards is deeply worrying.

GHANA MUST WAKE UP, SHOUT FOR A NEW REGISTER AND SHAKE UP THE EC -

FITCH Rating’s latest report on Ghana lays particular emphasis on the importance of Ghana’s democracy and stability to the country’s economic prospects. Whiles it gives a negative outlook based on how the economy is being run, Fitch makes the point that Ghana’s credit rating has not, however, fallen below ‘B’ because of the country’s “strong governance record and recent democratic history,” and that, this is “reflected in Ghana’s ability to attract foreign direct investment, which at 7% of GDP is well above that of Nigeria, Gabon, Zambia, Kenya and Angola.”

The attention of the Danquah Institute has been drawn to a story making the rounds on social media and now on www.ghanaweb.com, as well, titled “Danquah Institute predicts 64.7% win for Kwabena Agyepong.”

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"Our mission is to make a courageous, imaginative and constructive contribution to nation-building and development, with the purpose of enhancing the life of every individual citizen" - J.B Danquah

The attention of the Danquah Institute has been drawn to a publication by the Al Hajj Newspaper of 26th of September 2013, and subsequently reproduced on several online news outlets, including Ghanaweb.

The Al Hajj Newspaper reports, somewhat incomprehensibly that the Danquah Institute perceives and/or plans on using the “New Free Press” as a destructive tool to run-down the Asantehene “with the accusation of conspiring with President Mahama to bribe the Justices of the Supreme Court, to rule in the latter’s favor.”

A former President of the Ghana Bar Association and renowned lawyer, Samuel Okudzeto, has stated that his analysis of the 588 paged judgement, handed down by the Supreme Court on the presidential election petition, reveals that the judgement went 5-4 in favour of the petitioners.

At a symposium organized by the Danquah Institute to review the Supreme Court’s decision in the election petition filed by Nana Akufo-Addo, Sam Okudzeto stated that the judgement handed down by Justice Atuguba did not establish the fact that the petitioners lost the case.

The Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, at symposium organized by the think tank to critique the Supreme Court judgement in the election petition, has proposed at number of reforms aimed at improving the Electoral Laws of Ghana ahead of the 2016 elections and subsequent elections.

Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, who was a speaker at the symposium, stated that there is an urgent need for a constitutional review of the Electoral Commission with regards to the appointment process, the tenure of appointees of the officers of the Electoral Commission, the composition of its membership, and the accountability mechanisms of the EC.

A Professor of Law and Dean of Research and Graduate studies at the Mountcrest University College has stated that the Supreme Court of Ghana in their judgement handed down in the Presidential Election Petition disappointed Ghanaians and failed to uphold the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

Professor Kwame Frimpong, at a symposium organised by the Danquah Institute to critique the judgement of the 9 judges, stated that the judges failed woefully to discharge their constitutionally mandated duty.